Train-pipe coupling.



J. THIEM.

TRAIN PIPE COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23. 1915.

1,156,19 Patented 001;. 12, 1915.

kg. 1. Fig.2.

JOSEPH THIEM, or NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

TRAIN-PIPE COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0ct. 12,1915.

Application filed June 23, 1915. Serial No. 35,767.

To all whom it may camera:

Be it known that I, Josnrn THIEM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Pipe Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pipe couplings; and its object is to provide for automatic coupling of the train pipes when the cars are coupled together, relieving the trainman of the necessity of going under the cars to make the connections between the pipes, and also to provide for automatic uncoupling of these pipes when the cars are un coupled.

My invention consists in the combination of parts and in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will. herein be 7 more fully described and claimed.

In the drawingszFigure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying my invention, showing one of the coupling heads, and showing the position in which it is mounted on the end of a car, this coupling being provided for a single pipe line; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the modification in which the coupling is provided for three pipe lines; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the coupling for a single pipe line, I

both heads being shown coupled together, and showing one of the cooks for cutting out the coupling; Fig. 4: is a detail plan view of one of the single coupling heads; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of one-of the triple coupling heads.

The coupling heads 1 are mated and inversely presented on two cars to be coupled, and located substantially under the couplers 2 of the cars. Each head has a rearwardly extending elongated neck 3 guided in a U- shaped hanger t fixed on the under side of the car frame, and this neck 3 and the head have a longitudinal passage 5 through them which at the rear end of the neck 3, receives a pipe 6 which projects vinto the train pipe 7, with a stuffing box 8 around it on the end of the train pipe, thereby permitting sliding of the pipe 6 along with the head 1, while the train pipe 7-is stationarily mounted on the frame of the car as usual.v

The cut-out cock 7 is interposed in the train pipe 7 adjacent to the pipe 6, and operated by means of a rod 7. The U-shaped hanger t is of sufficient vertical extent to allow the head with itsneck 3 to slide up and down thereinto allow forthe relative up and down motion of the two difierent cars having the coupling heads coupled together. Between the rear ends of the neck 3 and the stuffing boxes 8 are helical springs 9 which hold the coupling heads outward, these coupling heads being normally projected out past the couplers 2 of the cars, and when the cars are brought together and coupled, each coupling head is pressed back against its spring 9 and the resistance of the spring causes the coupling heads to be tightly pressed together.

Around the outer terminal'or mouth of.

the passage 5 in each coupling head is a gasket 10 made up of two flanges 11 and 12,

making a continuous communication from one coupling head to the other, and. therefore from one trainpipe 7 to the other on the two cars. p v

To assist in holding the coupling heads together by steadying their engagement, each one of them is provided on one side with a wide flat prong 15 vertically disposed, and on its other side with a slot 16 vertically disposed in such a manner that it receives the prong 15 of the other coupling head, which, as hereinbefore stated, is inversely presented. Outside the slot'16, there is a recess 17 in which is swung on vertical pivots 18 a jaw 19, the rear end 20 of which may swing into the slot 16, while the front end swings outward from in front of the slot. The inner side of this front end has a vertically disposed elongated lug 21. The rear outer corner 22 at the other side of the coupling head is made square, and thiscorner 22 on each coupling head is adapted'to fit behind the If lug 21 of the jaw 19 of the other coupling head, being held thereagainst by the engagement of the rear end of the prong 15 with the rear end 20 of the jaw 19, which prong so that it will readily be pulled loose when I I Fig@ 2.

the prong disengages from the rear end 20 of the jaw 19 as the cars are separated. The necks 3 of the coupling head may have lugs 23 to the rear of the hangers 4': to limit the forward movement of the coupling heads when the car is separated and cause this pulling apart of the coupling heads.

To compensate for the slight up and down motion that may occur between the cou led heads, I prefer to make the mouths ()1 the passages 5 somewhat higher than they are wide, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the gas kets 10 will be shaped accordingly.

As is well known, passenger trains are provided with three pipe lines, one for the air brakes, one for the heating system and one for the signal system. Accordingly, I may provide coupling heads 1 each with three passages 5 5 and 5 as shown in Figs. 2 and (3. The necks 3' of these coupling heads will be widened to accommodate the increased number of passages, as will also the hangers as indicated by the hanger e in It will be understood that the three lines of pipes enter the respective passages, and each will be provided with a pipe 6 entering the respective pipe on the car corresponding to the pipe 7 and provided with a stuffing box 8. However, it will not be necessary to provide a spring 9 on each pipe, since merely the middle pipe or merely the two side pipes may have such springs to equalize the yielding support of the cou pling head. forwardly. The other parts of the triple coupling will be the same as those described in connection with the examples of Figs. 1, 3, 4t and 5. The cooperating prongs l5 and jaws 19 will so bind the couplin g heads together and equalize the pressure across them that all of the gaskets 10 will make tight contact and render the respective pairs of pipes on the two cars continuous.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, each coupling head having a pipe extending rearwardly therefrom, which pipes communicate through said coupling heads brought together-as aforesaid, each of said pipes extending into a respective train pipe, and a stufling box on each train pipe around the one of said pipes extending thereinto.

2. In a train-pipe coupling, in combina tion with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, each coupling head having a pipe extending rearwardly therefrom, which pipes communicate through said coupling heads brought together as aforesaid, each of said pipes extending into a respective train pipe, and a stul'ling box on each train pipe around the one of said pipes extending thereinto, and a spring interposed between each of said coupling heads and the respective stuffing box.

3. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air tight connecting means between said heads, a rearwardly extending neck on each coupling head, a hanger flanking said neck and secured to a railway vehicle centrally thereof under the coupling thereof, each coupling head and its neck having a passage therethrough, a pipe fixed in the rear end of each neck and communicating with the respective passage, movable connection between each of said pipes and a respective train pipe, and a spring interposed between each neck and the respective train pipe around the pipe that is fixed to the neck.

4-. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means between said heads, a rearwardly extending neck on each coupling head, a hanger flanking said neck and secured to a railway vehicle centrally thereof under the coupling thereof, each coupling head and its neck having a passage therethrough, a pipe fixed in the rear end of each neck and communicating with the respective passage, each of said pipes extendin into a respective train pipe, and a stuffing box on each train pipe around the respective pipe extending thereinto.

5. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means between said heads, a rearwardly extending neck on each coupling head, a hanger flanking said neck and secured to a railway vehicle centrally thereof under the coupling thereof, each coupling head and its' neck having a passage therethrough, a pipe fixed in the rear end of each neck and communicating with the respective passage, each of said pipes extending into a respective train pipe, a stuliing box on each train pipe around the respective pipe extending thereinto, and a helical spring around each of said pipes between the neck and the stuffing box.

6. In a train-pipe coupling, in combinaion with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, a jaw pivoted on each one of said coupling heads, with a front end adapted to engage behind the other coupling head, and a rear end to be engaged to cause this engagement of the front end with the other coupling head, and means on each coupling head to engage with the rear end of the jaw on the other c0upling head to cause said engagement of the front end when the coupling heads are brought together.

7. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, a-j aw pivoted on each one of said coupling heads, an inwardly extending lug on the front end of each jaw to engage with an adjacent corner of the other coupling head when the front end of the jaw is swung inward, said jaw having a rear end to be engaged inwardly, and a prong on each coupling head to engage with said rear end of the jaw on the other coupling head to swing said jaw as aforesaid.

8. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, each of said coupling heads having a prong and a slot disposed oppositely to each other, the prong of each coupling head being received into the slot of the other coupling head when they are coupled together, and a jaw pivoted on each one of said coupling heads adjacent to the slot thereof, with a rear end engaged by the prong of the other coupling head when it is received into the slot of the respective coupling head, and thereby being swung outward and swinging the front end of the jaw inward, and an inwardly extending lug on the front end of each jaw to engage with an adjacent corner of the other coupling head when the front end of the jaw is thus swung inward.

9. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, each of said coupling heads having at one side a prong and at the other side a slot, the prong of each coupling headbeing received into the slot of the other coupling head when they are coupled together, each of said coupling heads having a recess extending inwardly from the adjacent side into its slot, and a jaw pivoted in each one of said recesses to swing on a vertical axis, with a rear end swinging into said slot to be engaged by the prong of the other coupling head, and an inwardly extending lug on the front end of the jaw to engage with an adjacent corner of the other coupling head when the front end of the jaw is swung inward by the engagement of the prong of the other coupling head, with the rear end vof this jaw thus swinging outward.

10. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, each of said coupling'heads having a passage through it and having an annular slot around the passage a short distance inward from its mouth,

a gasket for each coupling head comprising rear and forward flanges joined by a middle part of lesser diameter, therear flange entering said annular groove and the forward flange lying outside of the mouth of the passage to engage with the forward flange of the other coupling head, each of said coupling heads having a recess extending inwardly from the adjacent side intoits slot,- and a jaw pivoted in each one of said recesses to swing on a vertical axis, with a rear end swinging into said slot to be engagedby the prong of the other coupling headfa'nd an inwardly extending lug on the front end of the jaw to engage with an adjacentcorner of the other coupling head when the front end of the jaw is swung inward by the engagement of the prong of the other coupling head, with the rear end of this jaw thus swinging outward.

11. In a train pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, a rearwardly extending neck on each coupling head, a hanger flanking said neck and-secured to a railway vehicle centrally thereof under the coupling thereof, each coupling head and its neck having a passage therethrough, a pipe fixed in the rear end of each neck and communicating with the respective passage, movable connection between each of said pipes and a respective train pipe, and a spring interposed betweeneach neck and the respective train pipe around the pipe that is fixed to the neck.

12. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, I inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, a rearwardly extending neck on each coupling head, a hanger flanking said neck and secured to a railway vehicle centrally thereof under the coupling thereof, each coupling head and its.

neck having a passage therethrough, a pipe,

fixed in the rear end of each neck and communicating with the respective passage. each of said pipes extending into a respective train pipe, a stufling box on each train pipe around the respective pipe extending thereinto, and a helical spring around each of said pipes between the neck and the stufling box.

14. In a train-pipe coupling, in combination with train pipes, inversely disposed mated coupling heads, air-tight connecting means clamped between them, each coupling head having a pipe extending rearwardly therefrom, which pipes communicate through "said coupling heads brought together as aforesaid, each of said pipes extending into terposed in each of said train pipes past the 15 end of the pipe extending into the train pipe, and an operating rod for said cut-out cock.

JOSEPH THIEM.

WVitnesses G. J. HEHMAN,

CLARENCE PERDEW.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

